The proposals of some Republican presidential candidates, such as Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, which suggest sending the United States military to Mexico and the use of drones with bombs to fight drug cartels have gained prominence in the media. These proposals emerged during the Republican debate at the end of September, in which Nikki Haley highlighted the concern about fentanyl in the United States and the threat posed by Mexican cartels.

The crux of the discussion revolves around the power and influence of Mexican drug cartels, which were recently highlighted in a study published in the journal Science by Mexican researchers Rafael Prieto-Curiel, Gian Maria Campedelli, and Alejandro Hope. According to that study, cartels collectively employ about 175,000 people in Mexico, making them the country's fifth-largest employer. This revelation is startling and puts into perspective the scale and complexity of the problem.

“According to the findings, the labor power of Mexico’s cartels is only surpassed by a few large companies in Mexico, including the beverage multinational Femsa, Walmart, Manpower and the telecommunications giant América Móvil. […] Over 200,000 Americans have overdosed and died from synthetic opioids like fentanyl since 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”, according to the NBC Newsarticle.

The approach proposed by the Republican candidates to send military forces to fight the cartels has faced criticism. It is argued that drug addiction in the U.S. cannot be solved by bombing Mexico alone, and that the problem also lies with drug users in the United States. In addition, the idea of sending troops to Mexico was rejected by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who called it absurd and urged Mexicans living in the U.S. not to support candidates who promote such plans.

The aforementioned study also points out that Mexican cartel violence has not decreased over the years, despite arrests of cartel leaders, government actions, and peace negotiations. Reducing the recruitment of new members to the cartels is seen as a more effective way to decrease violence than military repression.

The researchers, according to NBC News, suggest that the solution lies in understanding how cartels recruit new members, addressing issues such as threats, scarce economic opportunities, and the risks associated with joining these criminal organizations. The study points out that a significant percentage of recruits end up in prison or killed within a 10-year period.

While there is debate about the accuracy of the study's numbers and methods, it sheds light on a complex and challenging problem facing Mexico and the United States, which is the continued recruitment of new members into drug cartels and the violence associated with them. The research also highlights the importance of finding solutions that go beyond purely military and repressive approaches.